The gavel officially passed at the 2026 ACSM Annual Meeting, where Karin Allor Pfeiffer, PhD, FACSM, FNAK, became ACSM’s 70th president. As she begins her term, we spoke with Dr. Pfeiffer about her vision for the year ahead, what she hopes to accomplish, what excites her most, and more.
How long have you been a member of ACSM?
It just so happens to be my 30th anniversary as a member this year. That seems a bit unbelievable!
What have you enjoyed most about being an ACSM member?
I enjoy the people! I love our members. I always say ACSM feels like family to me, and I truly mean it. Each year when the ACSM Annual Meeting comes around I am so excited to reconnect with everyone and meet the next generation of professionals.
What do you find most gratifying about being elected president of ACSM?
The most gratifying part is knowing that our members have placed their trust in me. I love helping people, building relationships, and making connections, and serving as president allows me to do all three. I want everyone to feel that they belong and are a part of the ACSM family. ACSM is already an amazing organization, but there is always room to grow and become even better.
What personal or unique experience, skills and/or abilities will you look to apply to your presidential leadership?
I care deeply about this ACSM team. ACSM has been my professional home since I was a graduate student, and I want every member to benefit from being a part of this incredible organization as much as I have.
What are your vision and priorities for your term as president?
One of my top priorities is better supporting our certified professionals. We haven’t focused on them enough in recent years, even though ACSM produces the research they use every day to help people move more and move better. We need to listen to their thoughts and address their desires for what ACSM can do for them. We have asked them questions, and they have answered. It is now time to implement suggestions.
I also want to build on our recent efforts to engage our clinician members and our basic and applied science colleagues. I am looking forward to helping implement recommendations from President Jaworski’s Moving Together to Move Forward Task Force, and I’m excited about streamlining our governance structure. CEO Feltman and the Strategic Planning Committee are also exploring new partnerships. I want to expand those relationships in mutually beneficial ways, drawing on my experience developing community partnerships through my research.
What excites you most about ACSM’s future?
Like many individuals and organizations, ACSM has been through a challenging period, and the future sometimes felt uncertain. We are now in a much more stable position. As we move forward, we must ensure that current and future researchers, educators, clinicians, and exercise professionals feel like ACSM is their home.
Our members and the relationships we build are essential to our future. That is what excites me most. As President Volpe noted, “We are ACSM!” Together, the ACSM team will move forward to create great opportunities in research, clinical practice, and advocacy.
